


Raimon's Samurai Remastered

by Lykanna



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Soccer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28350027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lykanna/pseuds/Lykanna
Summary: A rewrite of Raimon's Samurai. I suck at summariesMasamune Ren, son of Masamune Date and Hatake Ayame, just moved to the town of Raimon. To his classmates, he is a polite, smart and talented young man. Though the Raimon Jr. High soccer team gets to learn what is hiding behind a well-crafted mask.
Relationships: Kazemaru Ichirouta/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a rewrite of an old story of mine that I finally got around to working on again. I hope you enjoy it! Masamune Ren is my own character and some other characters are my own as well. Please Enjoy!

Chapter 1:  
Staring out the window, I tried to feel more positive about the car ride and ignore the creeping sense of doom. The early morning air is chilly; yet crisp. The sun was shining, warming my face and the breeze was lazily blowing by. I was so attuned to the moment I could even hear the birds chirping in the distance despite the hum of the traffic around me.  
Honestly, it was pretty lovely… and it would be more enjoyable if I wasn't stuck in a car with my father and mother. Instead of being in this metal death trap with Japan’s slowest driver, I’d rather walk to my school. It would be a lot safer...and, perhaps, a bit more relaxing. Nervously, I picked at the bandages wrapped around my hands to calm myself.

"Ren-chan?" Hearing my name, I stopped messing with the bandages and glanced at my mother, Hatake Ayame, "Are you excited to start school?" she asked me in a solemn voice. My father, Masamune Date, glanced at me from the rearview mirror when she asked me her question.  
I put on my best smile to put her at ease. "Of course," I assured her, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I'm just a little nervous that I'm going to be behind the other students." I fiddled with the strap of my sword case. Perhaps I’m just a bit more nervous than I thought. Last time I attended a public school was for kindergarten… By age seven, I was homeschooled.  
Mother was quick to reassure me that everything would be fine and that since I’m a fast learner I would catch up quickly. It was nice to hear this point after spending the last couple of years being homeschooled by my grandfather. He did his best, but that man has martial arts on the brain 24/7!

"I wouldn't worry too much," Father chimed in, turning down the road towards the school.. "Raimon Jr. High is a good school and we can vouch for that… being alumni ourselves." I just nodded in response, and turned my attention to the window staring mindlessly at the scenery sliding by. Everything should be fine, right? A few moments later, Father pulled next to the curb and I hop out; pulling my bags over my shoulders.

From the front gate, I waved goodbye to my parents. Mother had wanted to walk me in, but I declined, stating that I would be fine on my own. It was sweet that she wanted to walk with me… but the thought of her coming with me was a little embarrassing.  
Breathing in deeply, I slipped my school bag over one shoulder and my sword case over the other. Slowly, I made my way past the front gates. Some students glanced at me as they walked by, but no one tried to talk to me. That was fine by me. It would be easier to get a general sense of the school’s layout if I wasn’t distracted. So far, it seemed the grounds were standard for a junior high… at least from what I had seen in dramas. Although, thinking about it, I don’t think it’s common to have a sports field smack-dab in front of the school. But what do I know?

Asking an older looking student for some directions, I made it to one of the staff rooms to meet up with my homeroom teacher, Suzuki-sensei. When I got to the closed door, I tentatively tapped on it quietly. The door opened and I got my first glimpse of my teacher. A young woman with short brown hair and pretty amber eyes.  
After a brief introduction, she introduced me to the other two teachers in the room; Fuyukai-sensei and Sugata-sensei before she led me down the hall to where I would learn later, the second-year classrooms were situated. Making small talk on the way, I’m sure to put me at ease, she talked about the various clubs the school offered the students and specifically mentioned the kendo club. I smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. However, there was NO way I would be joining a martial arts club, much less Kendo!

“Alright, here is our class 2-A,” Suzuki-sensei said, stopping next to the classroom door. “Are you ready Masamune-kun?” I nodded and she opened the door. She stood back and let me walk in first. Following behind me, she closed the door and walked over to the podium. I nervously slowed and stopped to stand next to her. Most of the class didn't seem to notice us and continued their conservations. A few girls, who did see us come in, kept glancing at me and giggling. Was there something on my face? “Class,” Suzuki-sensei began speaking in a quiet but firm voice. “We have a new student today.”  
A deathly silence fell upon the room and all eyes shot toward me. Sensei handed me some chalk to use and directed me toward the chalkboard and told me to introduce myself.

“My name is Masamune Ren,” I said, carefully keeping my back to the room and writing the kanji on the board. After i finished my name, I turned back around to bow to my new classmates,  
“It’s very nice to meet you.” I said, making sure I gave my most charming smile. My mother had told me earlier to make a good first impression and to not look like my stern-faced father–who had agreed with her.

  
Immediately, my peers started whispering to each other as though I wasn’t even in the room and I had no choice but to listen in. A few classmates were talking about my appearance, the point of the bandages on my hands or about how cute I was while others were whispering about my sword case… which they thought was for kendo. I heard one guy, a brunette wearing an orange headband, ask his neighbor if I played soccer. The neighbor, a boy with platinum-blond hair, only shrugged.

“Are there any questions for Masamune-kun?” Suzuki-sensei asked and... damn, nearly every hand shot up. Sensei pointed to a girl with short brown hair. She asked about the case on my back. Do I really want to tell them? I thought to myself. I mean, as a member of the Masamune family, I have the right to carry my sword anywhere. Also the headmaster of the school gave me written and verbal permission to have it at school. Ah, screw it… I’m used to people being afraid of me.

  
“It’s a katana,” I said, “And I do have permission to carry it.” I said in a somewhat belligerent tone. My classmates showed mixed reactions, but most of the reactions seem positive. No one showed any signs of being scared, so I thought that that was a good sign.  
Next, Sensei pointed to the guy with the orange headband. A giant grin enveloped his face as he asked me if I played soccer. His seat neighbor and another boy, who–I noticed distractedly–had really pretty aquamarine hair, sighed at the same time. They must be friends… how nice.  
I haven’t been able to play in the last couple of years since I was training with Grandfather, but I used to play quite often with my old friends. “It’s been a couple of years, but I do play.” I told him. My answer made him grin broadly. He turned to his friends to whisper excitedly.

  
“Alright, one more question and then we have to move on.” Sensei said and she pointed to another girl in the front row. The girl asked, in a timid voice, where I used to live. I didn’t know how to answer her. The Masamune family compound doesn’t really fall in any town limits and is pretty much a town all of its own. I didn’t want them to know that though because people tend to treat me differently when they find out that I’m from that Masamune family. So I just responded that I’m from Chiba. Thankfully they all seemed to accept that answer.

  
Sensei finally directed me to my seat. I was to sit next to a guy named Kazemaru. While I was looking for my seat, I saw a hand go up. It belonged to the boy with aquamarine hair. He’s seated in the back row with the window seat open to his left. When I took my seat, he smiled at me. Sunshine streamed in from the window behind me, illuminating Kazemaru’s brown eyes, giving them a goldish hue and his hair blew gently in the breeze from the open window. Crap… he’s really pretty. It should be a crime to be that pretty. And, I’ve stared too long. All these thoughts flashed through my head. I smiled back at him and turned towards the front of the room. I hope he didn’t notice me staring at him like a creep!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Here is chapter 2 of Raimon's Samurai Remastered! I figured I would update earlier than expected since Chapter 1 was on the shorter side. Please Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

After 20 minutes of self-study–or silent reading in my case–first period, Japanese Literature, went by as quickly. My new classmates spent most of the class period whispering about me I think, based on the snippets of words I heard here and there. Many questioned my sword, while the boy with the orange headband kept bothering his seatmate about soccer. I, on the other hand, tried not to stare at the boy next to me. This was made harder by the fact I had to scoot closer to share his textbook as I hadn't been assigned mine yet. The next class of the day was Social Studies with Nakamura-sensei, where, much to my happiness and chagrin, I sat by Kazemaru-kun once more since we didn't have to switch classrooms. Third period was Music in the next building, where Ito-sensei placed me with the other baritones after a quick voice demonstration by me. That was the first time I'd ever sung, but thankfully I knew how to read sheet music! Fourth period science came and went with Inuoka-sensei. Kazemaru-kun was in that class with me as well. Thankfully, since I didn't know where the lab was!

After period 4, the bell chimed for lunch and the feeling of dread welled up in my stomach. Not because it was my first day or because I didn't have anyone to eat with. No, the reason was much worse than that. Earlier that morning, my mother wanted to make a bento for me, a commemoration of my first school day, and my father offered to help her. Now, I already knew that Father was a horrendous cook—burnt rice, under-cooked chicken, charred vegetables and at times, the food would come to life. The first time I ate his food, I ended up in the hospital for a couple of days with a severe case of food poisoning, salmonella I think, from under-cooked poultry. The days in the hospital were a blur of sweating, heaving stomach, crampy bowels and profuse vomiting. I don't know about my mother since she hadn't tried cooking for us yet. We have been subsisting on take-out since last week because of this. I hadn't had the heart to decline when they looked so excited to do something for me.

"Masamune-kun?" Someone tentatively called my name from beside me. I looked up to see Kazemaru-kun standing next to me, bento in hand. "Would you like to eat lunch with us?" He moved to the side so I could see the orange headband boy and the platinum blond boy waiting at the door. I nodded quickly because, one, eating alone sucks and two, this was a chance to make some friends. That, and some of the girls in class are looking at me a little too closely. It was a little uncomfortable to have that kind of laser attention on me.

Kazemaru grinned "I hope you don't mind if we eat with some other second years." I shook my head, expressed my gratitude, and grabbed my own bento from my school bag. Kazemaru-kun and I fell into step with the other two. The boy with the orange headband, who introduced himself as Endou Mamoru, greeted me excitedly and introduced his other friend. The platinum haired boy, now known as Gouenji Shuuya, nodded to me silently. He must be the cool boy type I thought to myself.

The three boys led me to the rooftop, where there were a few other groups milling around. I spotted a few of my other classmates and waved to them when we made eye-contact. Endou hooked arms with me and dragged me over to a group of five other boys… or was it six? There seemed to be another presence, but I couldn't see anyone. Oh, well; It didn't matter.

"Everyone!" Endou shouted, getting the attention of the group, "Meet our new classmate!" The five boys turned to stare at me and I gave them a shaky smile back. It was kind of awkward, having them stare at me. Is that normal? I should just introduce myself. Being homeschooled really messed with my social skills and my awareness of what to do in most social settings.

"Hi, I'm Masamune Ren." I said, giving them a little wave with my free hand. A few of the boys smiled back at me. However, one guy, a boy with pink hair, stare turned into a full-on glare, which I found incredibly rude! I glared back at the boy, who seemed to be taken-aback. Don't dish out what you can't take! I thought to myself a little aggressively.

"You already know us," Endou said, ignoring that little exchange between the boy and I, "So I'll introduce everyone else!" He pointed to the guy who glared at me first, "That's Someoka."

"Handa." He pointed to a brunette boy. Handa waved and muttered a greeting.

"Max." He pointed to a boy wearing a hat that resembled a cat and sitting next to Handa. Max lounged against the fence and winked at me. That was kind of weird.

"Megane." He pointed to a glasses-wearing boy, reading manga. He glanced at me before going back to his book. Endou awkwardly chuckled and turned to the next boy.

"That's Domon." He said, pointing to a lanky boy with blue hair, who waved in greeting.

"And here's Kageno… Huh?" Endou spun around, "Where is Kageno?" The other's shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads.

However, a shiver ran up my spine. I felt a presence hovering behind me and my body moved instinctively. Before the others could react, I spun around and brought my leg up to strike. Thankfully, I stopped before my foot could make contact with the unknown person's head. It was a guy with long purple hair, covering his eyes. He had a very weak presence. This was probably Kageno. The poor guy was standing in shock and his lips trembled as he noticed my foot near his temple. That could've ended pretty badly.

"Ah, sorry about that." I apologized, coughing lightly and slowly lowered my leg. I felt a little bad, considering the other boy could have gotten hurt, but he should know better than to sneak up on someone! Although, thinking about it, my first reaction shouldn't be to attack. I needed to break that habit soon or I could lose these potential friends.

"Ah, Kageno!" Endou shouted, ignoring that I almost injured his friend, "Meet Masamune!" Kageno, still startled, waved at me and slowly walked over to sit with Max and Handa, muttering about "not being seen" whatever that meant. "Now, let's eat!" Endou shouted once more, sitting down next to Gouenji, who must have sat down at some point during that whole debacle.

I took a seat between Kazemaru and Someoka, the latter still glaring daggers at me. I stuck my tongue out in return. Everyone started to eat and chat while I just stared at my own unopened bento box. Did I really want to risk it? Max looked over, noticing me fiddle with the box and asked me if I was going to eat or just keep fiddling with my lunch.

"I'm… a little scared." I answered honestly, playing with the cloth the box was wrapped in. The group looked at me with confusion on their faces. Clearly, they didn't understand my hesitancy or the dread that was quietly humming through my system.

"Why?" Someoka asked, eyeing the bento warily, "Is your mom a bad cook or somethin'?"

"Maybe?" I answered hesitantly. "Father is a bad cook and he helped Mother make my lunch." I bravely opened my bento to take a look at it. There didn't seem to be any moving parts or eyeballs in the food, but…

"I don't think that should be purple." Max said, pointing to something that looked similar to rice, but was purple and smelled like… grape soda? I nudge the rice with my chopsticks. It wasn't moving or screaming. Besides the smell, it looked edible. That was good… right?

"What the heck is that?" Someoka asked, pointing to something green… and moving. I spoke too soon. Father must have made that. Someoka scooted away when the substance moved towards him. It might be sentient.

"Would it be unethical to eat something that might be alive?" I muttered, poking the green thing. It curled around a chopstick almost lovingly. I probably shouldn't eat this.

"Masamune-kun, I don't think you should eat that…" Kazemaru trailed off, eyeing my lunch warily, "I can share some of mine, if you want." He showed me his nice and normal looking bento. It looked so much better than my own.

And while that sounded best, I would feel bad since Mother and Father worked really hard on this and more than likely would ask me how it tasted. But, on the other hand, I liked living. "I'll eat one bite of the rice," I decided, "If I don't die, I'll finish eating and if I do die, tell Dai-chan that I love him." Probably a little too dramatic and I should probably tell them that Dai-chan was my dog, but I was already taking a bite of the purple rice. My classmates looked at me in horror.

The rice was crunchy and tasted just like grape soda. Wait, was that a splash of oyster sauce in there? With a hint of turmeric? That was an odd combination. Why was my mouth going numb?

"Are you okay?" Kazemaru asked me, eyeing my face in concern. I managed to nod before I started seeing black spots. That was, not good. All I heard next was someone shouting to get the school nurse and then…

Nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello wonderful readers! Here is chapter 3 of Raimon's Samurai Remastered! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise to update soon.

Chapter 3:

Is.. is this what death feels like?

Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up from the squishy surface I was lying on. Looking around groggily, it looked like I was in the nurse's office, if the cot was any indication. Plus the smell of antiseptic was quite strong. My nose cringed from disgust. I absolutely hated that smell... probably from the multiple times I've been admitted into hospitals. The stray thought shook loose a memory and I quickly remembered the events leading me to my present situation.

"Ah! He's awake!"

Looking up, I saw Kazemaru, Gouenji and Endou enter the room. Gouenji quietly reminded Endou to use his indoor voice, especially in the nurse's room. Kazemaru walked over to check up on me. I assured him that I was fine now, and started to push myself up, but he pushed me back down; not convinced of my wellness at all. I mean, I wouldn't be either if I saw someone pass out from eating purple rice, but I've eaten worse… much worse. I will never forget the Chicken-Tuna Pâté incident.

"You sure?" Gouenji piped up, "You've been out all afternoon recess and I think they were getting ready to call for an ambulance and your parents." Oh, that's not too bad... Last time, I was knocked unconscious for a couple of days. I'm about to tell them as such, but the sliding door opened loudly. A man in a white lab coat walked in, noticed that I was awake, and rushed over to check on me.. He checked my head, took my temperature and asked me how I was feeling.

"I'm fine." I assured the nurse, but like Kazemaru-kun, he wasn't convinced and mentioned that he was going to call my parents to pick me up. "Truly, I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've been knocked unconscious by someone's cooking," I plead. "Please? They'll feel horrible if they knew their cooking did this." The nurse looked conflicted before agreeing to not call my parents, but only if I promised to come back to his office if I felt ill at any time and allow him to call them. Quickly I agreed and he let me go back to class with the others. That was close.

On the way to class, with the boys bumping into me all the way down the hallway, I happened to look out the window and saw a small building. It looked pretty old and a little dilapidated to be honest… Such an old little building. I was just about to ask my classmates what it was for, but we were already outside the door to the science lab. Hopefully I would remember to ask them later.

Back in class, We finished the science lesson from earlier before heading to our last period of the day. Unfortunately for me, I didn't share math with Kazemaru or Gouenji… but I did share it with Endou. The boy and I head down the hall to 2-E for our lesson. To my surprise, we shared the class with Handa and Someoka! Sitting in the open seat next to the pink-haired boy, with Handa in front of me and Endou to my left, I pulled my high school level geometry textbook out (the only book I was given by Suzuki-sensei this morning).

She seemed excited to learn that I excel in most subjects, including math, and then expressed her disappointment that I couldn't skip grades. According to her, the School Chairman tried to convince the Board of Education to allow me to be with the third years instead of with the second years, but the board members were adamant that I was to stay with my age group. Instead, he convinced them to let me take high school level mathematics… as long as I assisted Buma-sensei with the students who needed extra help.

Which seemed like a benefit for the both of us. Within the first ten minutes of class, Endou was groaning about the new formula they were learning while Someoka glared at the blackboard, as if he was trying to scare the chalk numbers away. Only Handa was quietly working, scratching his head every few minutes with the end of his pencil.

"Someoka, stop glaring at the board. All you need to do is find the value of x." I whispered to the boy before turning my attention to the brunette on my left. "Endou, you almost had it! Let's start from the beginning okay? We'll do it together!" Someoka grumbled, but begrudgingly went back to his worksheet and Endou scooted over to make room for me to sit next to him.

Buma-sensei definitely needed help with these guys!

Later, Classroom 2-A:

School was finally over and my first day at school was officially under my belt... Math was a little tiresome, as Endou, Someoka and Handa watched me like hawks all period. I hadn't noticed till halfway through the lesson, as I was focused on my own studies, and only got them to stop when they were doing their worksheets… since I was bouncing between Someoka and Endou, helping them with the problems. It was nice of them to care about my well-being, but not at the expense of their education! And, it was not like I was going to collapse again. Probably.

With a sigh, I packed my notebooks, pencil case and a few books into my bag. Sliding it and my sword case over my shoulders, criss-crossing the straps against my chest and headed to the opened door. However, I ended up walking into someone and fumbled a few steps back. A hand wrapped around my wrist to help steady me. "Sorry Masamune-kun… I wasn't watching where I was going." They apologized once I wasn't in danger of falling down. Looking up, I saw that the person I bumped into was Kazemaru-kun, holding a broom and dustpan. He must be on cleaning duty today–something Endou had explained to me during one of our breaks between classes. "Are you already going home Masamune-kun?" He asked, eyes traveling down to my bookbag.

"Mm, I told my parents I'd go home when school ended," I responded. "We recently moved into our new place, so we have some shopping to do." Not only did we have to pick up groceries, since takeout wasn't a sufficient diet, but I needed furniture and clothes as well. Living on the Masamune compound, we weren't allowed to wear "street" clothes, only the uniforms we wore during training. It was fine for the most part, since I spent most of my time training and learning while there, but now I didn't have clothes to wear on a regular basis. And it would probably look weird to wear my training uniform in public. It would also probably be a little embarrassing for me.

"Sounds fun," He said, before smirking playfully, "Perhaps you should pick out a couple of cookbooks while you're out?"

I had to slap my hand to my mouth to keep myself from snorting, but a few chuckles broke through. "Kazemaru-kun, that's so mean," I managed to say through my laughter. "But I might be able to sneak a couple into the basket." We were both laughing by then, but were interrupted by a small cough. I looked over Kazemaru's shoulder to see two boys looking at us. Well, to be honest, they were mostly staring at me.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, moving to allow Kazemaru to get into the classroom. He squeezed by me a bit but chose to stand close by instead of leaving me alone with these guys. Hopefully, that doesn't mean a fight was going to break out.

Looking the two boys over, I noted that one had long black hair, while the other had short pink hair, and both of them had cases similar to my own. They were probably part of the kendo club. "I'm Marui," the boy with black hair introduced himself. "And that's Sakurai." He pointed with his thumb towards the boy with pink hair while he was making the introduction. "We're part of the kendo club."

I had to stop myself from responding sarcastically, since their kendo cases make it obvious. Though... Why are they here? It doesn't seem like they are here to try and befriend me. I glanced over to Kazemaru to see if he had a clue, but he seemed to be as confused as I was. So, I waited for them to continue.

"We're here to recruit you for the kendo club." Sakurai said, holding out a badly designed flyer. 'JOIN THE KENDO CLUB TODAY' was at the top of the flyer in hastily written red letters and an even worse drawing of a stick figure with a... bamboo sword? At the bottom, in barely legible letters, was someone's name and class. The name was too illegible, but the person was from 2-C… perhaps the captain of the kendo team?

I stared at the flier for a few seconds, a million thoughts running through my head, and then I–being a relatively smart person–dumbly responded "Um, why are you trying to recruit me? You don't even know if I'm good at kendo?" Despite being from that family, I wasn't well-known in the kendo community. I'd only ever entered one kendo competition in my life and that was roughly five years ago. I won the competition, but I still don't know what was going on at the time. Since then, Grandfather trained me in kendo, but I would rather do anything other than that.

"Isn't..."

"Isn't your father Masamune Date?" Marui asked abruptly, cutting Sakurai off. Dumbly, I nodded and wondered how he knew that because I hadn't mentioned who my father was at all today… were these guys stalking me?! Shifting slightly, I place myself in front of Kazemaru-kun, just in case Marui and Sakurai were actually dangerous.

"He's a kendo master!" Sakurai shouted, causing our remaining classmates to stare. "He was so popular when he went here! So it became big news when it was rumored that his son was going to attend Raimon!"

Oh, they weren't stalkers then. Just… very enthusiastic fans of my father's. Which wasn't bad, except I could see where this was heading and I wanted to cut his train of thought off at the station! They were assuming that because my father was good at kendo, then I would be good at it. Which was true, but I had no desire for everyone to know how good I actually was. And learning kendo was expected of most members of my family anyways. Especially of those learning the way of the sword, so it wasn't a big deal.

My thoughts come to a complete stop when Kazemaru-kun clears his throat "Uhh… sorry," he interrupted, "What does that have to do with anything?" I almost forgot that he was standing next to me. He had been silent so far… and probably very confused. Along with our other classmates, who were still staring at us.

"Because if he's Masamune Date's son, that means he's from that Masamune family." Marui tried to explain, "And they are known for their martial art prowess." Of course the kendo guys were gonna catch on. Hopefully the other martial art clubs don't figure it out and try to get me to join their clubs. That was the biggest reason I tried to hide who my family was! I need to get out of here.

"Nope. Sorry. Can't even swing a sword," I said, shrugging at the two boys. "I'm more of a war fan kinda guy. You know… theater. music. Dancing." Which wasn't a complete lie.

"Wha? But…" Marui stuttered, pointing to the case on my back. Crap… I forgot about that.

"Don't know what you're talking about." I muttered, slowly backing up. Turning to Kazemaru-kun, I gave him a small wave and said. "Anyways, I have to go now. See ya later pretty boy!" Before anyone could respond, I dashed towards the window and jumped through it. Which, in hindsight, was a stupid idea. However, my monkey brain thought that jumping out of a window was the fastest way to get out of an awkward situation. Thankfully, martial arts training included a segment on falling from heights!

As I was falling, I placed my feet together so that when I made contact with the ground I'd be able to "crumble" to one side and roll to my other. It's the kind of training most militaries in the world use during parachute training and it is super effective, although I'll probably have some bruising later. That was fine with me though as I heal quicker than most.

"Masamune-kun!" Kazemaru shouted from above. I looked up to see him staring at me in shock and worry, "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"Don't worry Kazemaru-kun!" I shouted back, laughing a little from the adrenaline. "I've trained to be able to do that, so I'm fine!" He looked less worried, but I probably shouldn't do that again. Especially with my bags… I had been lucky they hadn't gotten in my way! "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow!" I shouted, waving as I ran away. He waved back and I think he was laughing a little bit. That was a good sign.

Once I was far enough away, I slowed down to a trot and looked around me to take in the scenery. This really was a pretty town and the townspeople seemed quite nice too. Hopefully, I would have more time to explore during the upcoming weekend. Perhaps one of my classmates would be able to show me around? Maybe Kazemaru? He seemed pretty… nice.

Before too long, I was back at the apartment the family owned. It was a nice three bedroom unit with plenty of room for a family of three. I mean, they weren't my first "family" but perhaps we could grow to be as close to each other as I was with my family at Sun Garden?

Lost in thought, I walked up to the door, opened it, and–after a half second–immediately closed it. There was a semi-naked woman in my house. While she was probably just a client from the company Mother works for, a fashion design company or something like that, I was still somewhat taken aback about walking in on a half naked woman! I felt awful for walking in on her.

Though, that means Father was probably hiding out in his room or something and I would rather follow his example than make a woman uncomfortable by walking in on her in a state of undress (again). After sending Mother a text that I was going to take a walk with Dai-chan and explore the surrounding area till she was done with work.

This time, I cracked open the door and blindly fumbled for the leash hanging from the wall to the right. When it was found, I quietly called for my dog and, in no time, my Shikoku Ken was squeezing through the opening, wagging his tail happily. He waited patiently for me to clip the leash to his collar before pulling me down the road.

After a while we arrived at a cool-looking bridge, with the town symbol–a lightning bolt–on it. It's really nice. Even Dai-chan seemed impressed.

Or he's just fascinated by the new smells.

As I was admiring the bridge, someone shouted my name loudly. Startled, I looked down toward the bank of the nearby river, straining my eyes. In the distance, I could see a soccer field with a few people playing. Near the goal was Endou, who was running towards me–he must have been the one to call out to me. At a slower pace, I walk down the hill towards the boy.

"Hey, Endou." I greeted as we neared each other. There were other people on the field as well and, much like myself, walked up to us at a slow pace. Kazemaru, Gouenji and the second years I had met at lunch were here as well as the girl with brunette hair from my homeroom (who had asked about my sword case). There were also a couple of people I didn't know. Dai-chan barked happily and spun in a circle, a thing he does when excited.

"I thought you were going shopping?" Kazemaru asked me once he got closer to me. After explaining that my mother was still working and that Dai-chan and I were taking a quick walk, Kazemaru nodded and peered down. "So this is Dai-chan!" Kazemaru said, crouching down to my dog's level, who was patiently waiting to be pat. Kazemaru seemed quite relieved to see him… why? Is Kazemaru afraid of dogs? That couldn't be right… otherwise he wouldn't kneel down to Dai-chan's level.

"It is indeed! You guys can pet him if you like… He's very friendly" I told them, stressing the last words in case someone was afraid of dogs, and soon Dai-chan was getting smothered in attention. Just like he deserved. As I was watching them pet my dog, there was a tap on my shoulder. It was Endou.

"Masamune, you play soccer right?" The boy asked, an excited gleam in his eyes and I nodded nervously before reminding him about this morning. The boy smiled widely and began to shake uncontrollably. Was that possible? He was practically vibrating from his excitement. It kind of reminded me of Dai-chan.

"Will you shoot some at me?" He asked, holding a soccer ball in his gloved hands, and that's when I noticed his goalkeeper uniform. How'd I miss that? Brushing that thought away, I readily agreed to his request. I did miss playing after all. Endou shouted, eager to get started and ran towards the goal with the rest of us close behind him. Kazemaru-kun offered to watch Dai-chan for me, and I jogged over to the penalty mark.

"Bring it!" Endou yelled, getting into position. Shaking my head at his eagerness, I gave him a thumbs up before taking a deep breath. The earthy scent of the field filled my lungs… I still couldn't believe it has been five years since I last stood on a soccer field. Taking a couple of steps back, I charged at the ball and kicked it to the Goalkeeper's left. Endou dove for the ball, but it passed him easily. That doesn't dissuade him and he shouted for me to kick again. And again. And again. How much stamina does this guy have!?

After what felt like the thousandth ball, Endou finally seemed to tire out and slowly walked over to me. "Amazing Masamune!" He shouted upon regaining his breath "The ball was so fast!" The others murmured in agreement from the sidelines and I felt my face grow hot from the attention. It has been a while since I've gotten praise like that. "What positions do you play? Endou continued, that excited sparkle gleaming in his eyes once more.

"Well.. umm…" I stammered, unsure how to answer. I only played for fun–so I had never been on an official team–but sometimes the other kids didn't want to play so I would fill in for them. "I guess I can play anywhere," I told him, looking down in embarrassment and hoped that it didn't sound like I was bragging, "I have a couple of hissatsu techniques for each position as well..." After a moment of silence, I risked peeking up at Endou, only to see him shaking so much that I was afraid he was going to vibrate out of his skin…

"Amazing Masamune, simply amazing!" He exclaimed, eyes shining. My lips twitch upwards. Endou must think everything was amazing… it was rare for me to meet someone so positive. While Endou was complimenting me, the others walked over to us and attempted to settle him down. Which seemed like a difficult thing to do. I've only known Endou for a day and he seemed like he was never calm… or quiet… or still.

Kazemaru-kun, who gave up trying to calm Endou, stood next to me instead. "So Masamune-kun, have you decided on a club to join yet?" He asked and I shook my head. It had only been a couple of hours since school ended and I didn't really know what clubs Raimon offered besides soccer, kendo, sumo wrestling and archery. The last three were definitely a 'no' as I don't want my entire life to revolve around martial arts…

"As you know, I was asked by the kendo club earlier," I said, a snicker escaping from my mouth, "And I refused them." Kazemaru laughed at that, probably remembering my unique way of escaping the situation.

"But… isn't that a case for kendo on your back?" Someoka asked, confused. "Marui and Sakurai carry similar cases." The others seemed to be in the same boat. Did no one mention it to him? I thought it would have spread around the school by now because how many thirteen year olds carry a sword with them?

"It's a katana," I explained for the second time today and pulled my beloved blade out of the carrying case, letting it rest against my palms. "It's name is Kaminari*." The pure black sheath gleamed in the afternoon sun, accenting the plum colored family crest and the kanji carved upon the glossy surface.

The first-years and some of the second-years took a step back despite the sword never leaving it's sheath. Except Gouenji and Kazemaru, who actually stepped forward to examine the sword. "I thought you were joking this morning, but you were actually carrying this around?" Gouenji asked, "Is that even allowed?" I guess my explanation was on the vague side this morning… But how else was I supposed to explain it? I didn't think anyone would ask me about my case because it wasn't that unusual!

"He has special permission." Someone behind me spoke. Turning around, I saw a girl with reddish-brown hair and an air around her that screamed 'rich' even though she was wearing our school's uniform. She seemed kind of familiar. "In fact, my father gave him permission," She continued, "And if the chairman gives permission, then it's fine."

There was only one person that I knew who talked like that: Raimon Natsumi, the only daughter of Raimon Jr. High's Chairman. And a childhood friend, of sorts. Could I call her a childhood friend? I mean, I've only known her for a couple of years and the only reason we met was because our parents went to school together. According to Father, they keep in touch regularly.

"You know it's my family's right to carry our weapons around," I reminded her, "So I don't require your permission Natsumi." Ahh, my tone might be a little too harsh, but it was irritating that she was acting all high and mighty about this.

"Having the Chairman's permission helps though." She retorted smugly and I couldn't argue with her logic. But I wanted to. We always tended to argue when we met up. Heck, the first time we met, we got into an argument about sweets. Sweets of all things! She tried to tell me that dark chocolate with chilli was the superior sweet. The second time we met, we got into another argument about whether dogs were better than cats. That one ended better. We actually agreed that both animals were amazing.

I probably shouldn't fight with her this time. Our mutual classmates don't need to see us squabble. Suddenly, I feel someone get closer to me. And felt the warm, wet breath of something panting next to my hand. I glanced down and saw Dai-chan sitting next to me, tail wagging slowly as he stared at Natsumi. Kazemaru-kun had walked over as well, though his fist was white from how tight he's holding Dai-chan's leash. Crap, was he upset with how I was speaking to Natsumi? Or that I hadn't taken my dog back? I hoped not, but before I could ask, he spoke up.

"You two know each other?" Kazemaru inquired, his voice sounding tense. Why did he seem worried about us knowing each other? I glanced at my other classmates to see if their body-language was the same as Kazemaru-kun's. The second years looked curious about my relationship with Natsumi while the first years, who were hiding behind Someoka, flitted their attention between her and myself. Ah, we probably scared them with our glaring.

"Our parents went to school together," I explained, turning my attention back to Kazemaru-kun, "So we're kind of friends?" I finished hesitantly. At least I assumed Natsumi was my friend, and she wasn't voicing any disapproval either. Kazemaru-kun visibly relaxed at my admission, seemingly less nervous now. Which was great, but why was he so nervous before? Did he… like Natsumi? As soon as that thought passed through my head, I felt an uncomfortable pressure build up in my gut. I didn't like that feeling.

But… why was I feeling that way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Please don't hesitate to leave a review about anything, whether its a question or maybe there is something you really like! And if you critique, please don't be rude. 
> 
> Notes:
> 
> Kaminari*: I chose the kanji 雷 (thunder) for Ren's blade. The name in the original fic was Lightning, but was changed in this remake.


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